People take part in pro-Hamas protest in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman

Belgian authorities have called off a scheduled soccer match between a local club and an Israeli team, citing security concerns as a deepening wave of antisemitic hostility and harassment raises growing fears for Jews and Israelis across the country.

Mohamed Ridouani, mayor of the Belgian central city of Leuven, announced on Tuesday that authorities would cancel a scheduled match later this month between Israeli club HaPo’el Beersheba and local side Union Saint-Gilloise, warning that the match could pose a serious security risk.

“This was also the reason for previous decisions to ban games … I am continuing a consistent policy. We cannot guarantee the safety of spectators and players during the match,” Ridouani said during a city council meeting.

The decision sparked fierce criticism from Jewish leaders and political figures, some of whom accused local authorities of applying an antisemitic double standard by effectively punishing an Israeli team over fears of protests and unrest.

Israel’s embassy in Belgium condemned the decision, offering to work with local law enforcement on additional security measures and coordination necessary to allow the match to proceed safely.

“Israeli players should be judged by their professional abilities, not by politics or political views. Sports should remain sports, free from political agendas,” an embassy spokesperson said in a statement. “Israel has faith in Belgium authorities’ abilities to maintain public order and is ready to help if needed.”

The Forum of Jewish Organizations (FJO), the main Jewish umbrella group representing Belgium’s Flemish Region, joined the criticism, warning that security concerns should not become a justification for excluding Israelis from public life and sporting events because of their nationality.

“Security must be taken seriously. But when an Israeli team is barred out of fear of protest or unrest, the question arises where security ends and exclusion begins,” FJO said in a statement. “When Israelis are barred because of their nationality or their government’s policies, this takes on a disturbing antisemitic undertone.”

Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli athletes and sports teams have increasingly faced discrimination, exclusion, and violence across Europe, as international efforts to isolate, boycott, and delegitimize the Jewish state have intensified.

Like most countries across Europe and the broader Western world, Belgium has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents over the last three years.

According to the Belgian Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities and the Fight against Racism and Discrimination (Unia), which tracks antisemitism nationwide, 192 reports of antisemitism and Holocaust denial were filed in 2025, following a record 270 cases in 2024 — marking two consecutive years far above previous levels.

Before the Oct. 7 atrocities, only 31 antisemitic cases had been reported in Belgium in 2022.